Do you feel lucky?

A municipal garden, looking as municipal gardens look: some grass, some benches, a well-clipped hedge. Minimum maintenance. Out of shot to the right is the Rose Garden Cafe - a heavy hint that this was once a rose garden, as confirmed by old photographs. Times change; local government finances change, as confirmed by the 'former park-keeper's house' that is now a prestigious private home. Without a park-keeper's seccateurs and vigilance, it is hard to sustain a rose-garden

But there are more cogs of history winding here. It's not the first time we have visited this park or this cafe. The only offering last time was a shuffle down a narrow, windowless corridor to a hatch for take-away drinks. The building - a single-storey, mock-Tudor, timber-framed structure that actually fits the park setting rather well - had recently been declared unsafe. It was erected in 1927,a gift to the city and, therefore, the responsibility of the council. Those finances again. The threat of demolition was in the air

My guess is that it is the sort of place where nostalgic teenage memories are made. A forceful, energetic and resourceful "cafe friends' group was formed. Pressure was applied; signatures collected. More reports were commisioned. A commitment to preserve was elicited; support scaffolding erected. A structural engineer finally declared the roof sound; a stroke of luck. Internal scaffolding was removed; normal café business resumed. Further renovation is being planned. A result for popular opinion

I took the picture as a reminder that, although most parts of the country have moved on from the snow, Sheffield got a lot more, it hung around for longer, and there are places where care is still needed. The magpie photo-bomber was a stroke of luck

PS. An echo in the next morning's paper